b"No-Till MilestonesData shows more than 105 million acres currently under no-tillage in the United States.By Aimee Nielson, Seed World U.S. Editor1837 John Deere and Leonard Andrus revolutionize1972 U.S. no-till acreage reaches an estimated 3.3 farming by producing the steel plow, setting themillion. Frank Lessiter also releases No-Till stage for future agricultural advancements. Farmer magazine and the book No-Tillage Farming, co-authored by Shirley Phillips and 1930s The Dust Bowl devastates the AmericanHarry Young.and Canadian prairies, with dust storms and economic hardships peaking around 1931 due1976 The EPA approves Monsantos Round-Up to over-plowing and drought. (Glyphosate) for agricultural use, boosting no-till adoption.1935 The Soil Conservation Service is established by the USDA to combat soil erosion and promote1980 No-till acreage nearly doubles to 16 million acres sustainable land practices. in just two years.1943 Edward H. Faulkner publishes Plowmans Folly,1985 The Farm Bill includes soil conservation challenging conventional plowing methodssubsidies, incentivizing no-till and other and advocating for planting directly into cropsustainable practices.residue.1994 Russia utilizes no-till farming to restore 11 million 1945 Dow introduces 2,4-D, a broadleaf herbicideacres of land impacted by the Chernobyl that allows farmers to control weeds withoutdisaster.tilling, facilitating early no-till practices.2000 No-till acreage in the U.S. surpasses 50 million.1961 George McKibben, an agronomist at the University of Illinois, pioneers no-till research,2005 USDA data reveals that switching to no-till saves expanding scientific understanding of soil3.5 gallons of diesel per acre annually, equating conservation. to substantial cost savings.1966 Harry Young plants the first commercial 2017 No-till acreage in the U.S. reaches 100 million,no-till crop in Kentucky, beginning with marking a significant expansion of conservation 0.7 acres of corn. tillage.Allis Chalmers debuts the first commercially available no-till planters, a major milestone2019 Companies like General Mills commit to recognized later as one of agriculture's topadopting regenerative practices, including 100 developments. no-till, on 1 million acres by 2030, with support from other major brands like Dannon, Kellogg's, Chevron launches Paraquat, a burndown herbicide that aids in no-till systems byNestle, and Land O Lakes.controlling weeds effectively.PresentRoughly 104 million acres in the U.S. are now 1970 Monsanto acquires Glyphosate, which laterDay managed under no-till systems, highlighting its becomes a key component of no-till weedgrowing role in sustainable agriculture.control.Sources: USDA Census of Agriculture, University of Kentucky, No-Till Farmer44/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2024"